Triumphrat

OlyKen · 08-13-2004, 10:12 PM

Warning - this post contains a degree of "blowing off steam" and may be lengthy!

My 04 RS has been in the shop for two weeks. With 1,000 miles on it, two bolts holding the cam gear to the exhaust cam shaft came loose. I was very lucky in that neither of the bolts fell out, and the gear and shaft were not damaged. However, my shop has been waiting two weeks for these two bolts to arrive. When they check, all they are told is "the warranty claim has been approved" and that the parts have been sent. AAARGH!

Also, obtaining a center stand has become an epic struggle. The first error was made by my dealer's now terminated parts person, who ordered the original equipment stand for the ST. I (and the dealer) were surprised to find that the stand did not fit on the RS. So, the correct stand (from the 03 Sprint RS accessory catalog) was ordered. When it arrived, there was no mounting hardware. To make a long story a bit shorter, Triumph has sent, not once, not twice, but on three consecutive occasions, mounting hardware for the Thunderbird/Adventurer center stand. I know that the proper hardware was requested, because I have been present all three times when the dealer phoned Triumph.

To say I am exasperated is an understatement!

I love my bike....it is my third Triumph...I have loved all three...but holy crap, this is getting annoying.

Sorry for the rant...thanks for listening.

Ken

bikesdp · 08-13-2004, 11:55 PM

Sorry man. I think I had told you that I had a similar experience with losing a couple teeth on the counterbalancer gear at 1300 miles and it was there for two months. So, if that was you, I'm at least glad to hear that they diagnosed the problem quicker than in my case. You were right too...definitely a top end problem.

Best of luck.

jefftarlton · 08-14-2004, 12:13 AM

It seems that Triumph has built some awesome bikes but failed to do anything else. North American importer has no clue. Dealers have no clue, most of the time. A real shame. I am able to keep my sprint on the road without Triumph's help most of the time, but I'd prefer a real network of dealers able to get parts, like most other brands.

preachp · 08-14-2004, 01:10 AM

Hi All,
I would like to make a suggestion. I suggest that when your bike has been tied up for more than a month you tell Triumph to give you an extension on the two year warrenty for the time it was down for repairs. Oure warranty is for two years. If they tie the bike up for three months then your warranty is effectively 1 and 3/4 years.

Preachp

OlyKen · 08-14-2004, 01:34 AM

Just to clarify - for the most part, I am very happy with my dealer. They were able to diagnose my problem quickly (although I trust that once the valve cover was removed, the situation was obvious) and, I hope, accurately.

Actually, I get the feeling that my dealer is just as frustrated with Triumph as I am - he ends up dealing with disgruntled customers like me. He has even given me the impression, at times, that he would rather just give up and stick with his other brands (KTM, Victory, and Kawasaki).

At my last visit, he even expressed frustration that Triumph presently owes him over $10,000 in refunds for returns (my center stand debacle has accounted for almost $600 of this amount).

I really do like the Triumphs I have owned, and on my first two (Legend and TBird Sport) I never had problems that necessitated shop time, therefore, I never experienced my present frustration.

Oh well, I guess I will learn a lesson in patience, courtesy of Triumph!

Ken

jefftarlton · 08-14-2004, 12:13 PM

I am very upset with one Triumph dealer. I won't bust them out yet here but I'm considering it. I need to go talk to the owner and discuss things. After I bought my sprint I started trying to give them all of my business. Having orders screwed up, never answering emails, never emailing me to tell me a part was or wasn't in, not giving my phone #/email to the local RAT pack, lieing to me, etc.
The real kicker is that a couple of weeks ago some guy called the house. He said he got my name and # from the dealer. He's got a Triumph that won't run and he wants me to make a house call to fix it for him! I thought the dealer made a living by selling parts and labor. If they'd given my name to somebody looking for a local Triumph owner to go ride with, I wouldn't be upset. I think they just shuffled this guy over to me to get rid of him. They know I was the service mgr. at a Hinckley shop in 95/96.